


sun will shine on us again

by twosidedcoin



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff and Crack, Gen, Loki and Gamora are bros, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), but if you blink you'll miss them, but let's be honest, i didn't really care for this movie, infinity war fix-it, its mostly crack, of sorts, some emotions, this is a thousand years late
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-13 04:37:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16010438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twosidedcoin/pseuds/twosidedcoin
Summary: Thanos should have known better than to trust Loki would hand over a real infinity stone so easily.orLoki screws up Thanos's big plan. No surprise there.





	sun will shine on us again

**Author's Note:**

> I just really like Loki okay.

The sun melted in the sky.

It bled orange and pink and yellow as it disappeared. _Mercy_ , had been what he called it when he’d snapped his fingers and half the universe turned to dust. He’d called it mercy; he’d looked upon all the people trying to stop him and had promised it was mercy.

The survivors will come to understand- one day. They’d realize that Thanos had saved them, and no matter how much it hurt they’d learn. They’ll learn to move on and find happiness, and then they’ll know.

Thanos had sacrificed everything for them. His daughter. His happiness. His chance at peace. All of it so he wouldn’t have to watch everybody else do the same mistakes his own people had.

And while everybody else mourned the ones they’ve lost ( _necessary loses, they’ll come to understand_ ) he found a nice quiet cave somewhere high up. It was warm and bright and Thanos thought of how he’s finally- _finally_ \- rescued the universe from itself.

He closed his eyes, allowing the warm feeling to roll over him. He almost missed the movement at his feet, the slightest twitching in the grass.

Thanos blinked, eyes falling down to the green snake moving at his feet. It was small, only about two feet long, and thin. It looked impossibly fragile but had out-survived half the universe so maybe there was something Thanos missed upon earlier glance.

“Hello there,” he greeted, bending down and picking the snake up in his hands.

The snake appeared even smaller up close, and Thanos was reminded of how fragile this world could be. The snake just curled its thin body around his fingers, oblivious and innocent and Thanos found himself oddly attached to the creature.

He tipped his hand so the snake tumbled gracefully into the palm of his hand so he could meet its eyes. Two dark intelligent specks stared back, and Thanos didn’t know much about this world but he’d been under the impression they were dimmer than the rest of the universe.

The snake blinked, and Thanos frowned because something about that seemed wrong. _Off._ Then the snake had changed, a sharp pinching striking him in the neck as two hard green specks glared down at him.

Thanos couldn’t help but smile, even as warmth spilled onto his front. Loki’s face remained impassive and almost annoyed as he glared down at Thanos’s falling form.

“Surprise,” Loki said- voice cold and biting, “It’s me.”

The ground felt hard beneath him, and the corners of his brain tickled with intrigue. He’d felt the little godling’s neck snap, had seen the whites in eyes bleed red and watched as the broken body crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut.

Numb fingers reached upwards, pulling out the knife Loki had buried in his neck. The edges of the world started to blur out of focus, and Thanos had the peculiar realization that he was dying.

“How?” he heard himself ask, voice cracking as the warmth rushing over his front start to ebb away.

“I warned you. You’ll never be a god,” Loki reminded him as his expression remained stony and unbreakable- a far cry from the broken child that’d tumbled into Thanos’s lap all those years ago, “and you should have never tried challenging one.”

Thanos laughed, blood bubbling out from his mouth and spilling down his chin; it wasn’t that he found the words or Loki’s expression amusing, but he could still recall that broken way Loki had carried himself when he’d first seen him.

“You’ve come a long ways,” Thanos noted, “I’m proud of you.”

The last thing he remembers seeing was Loki’s blank expression. Then he finally found his blissful nothingness.

&.

Loki bent over, fingers pressed against the Mad Titan’s neck. He didn’t find anything and released a heavy breath he hadn’t been aware he’d been holding as his head fell and he felt relief wash over him.

It hadn’t been easy, creating the illusion he’d been somewhere he was not. It was even harder to make it tangible, but one of the dying Asgardians had volunteered. Hands gripping the front of his tunic as calm eyes of one who’s accepted their fate peered up at him.

“Make him bleed,” they’d said, and Loki agreed.

Then he’d died without cluing Thor ( _his brother was going to kill him for stealing the tesseract and faking his dead- again_ ) in on the plan, which he’d meant to but then everything started happening far too quickly for Loki to make the time.

Out of his peripheral vision a pair of black boots stopped beside him. Loki didn’t move, even as she spoke.

“Is it real this time?” Gamora asked, “Is he dead?”

Loki nodded, rebellious strands of black hair spilling across his features. Something inside him continued to shake as emotion overwhelmed him.

Gamora, it seemed, was less dazed.

She reared back and kicked Thanos’s side. His body made a loud thumping sound upon contact but she didn’t seem to mind as she struck it again. And again. And again. Until, finally, Loki broke from his shock to rise to his feet and pull her back.

“We did it,” he told her as his own smile spread across his features, “He’s gone. We did it. We won. He’s gone. He’s gone. He’s gone.”

Gamora gave a wild sob before pressing her face against his chest, tears soaking into the fabric.

Loki didn’t push her away or tell her to stop. He just held her- their shared torture under the Mad Titan bringing them a sort of comradery Loki never thought he’d ever find.

“How’d you know that turning yourself into a snake would work?” Gamora asked, voice soft and muffled against his chest.

Loki shrugged before replying with a fond smile, “It always worked on Thor.”

She pulled away, eyes scrunched up in confusion and Loki realized he’d forgotten to explain to her who Thor was. Except she was looking at him like she knew _who_ he was talking about but not yet the context.

“The pirate angel?” she asked with an almost comical expression.

Loki blinked dumbly back because all he saw was oversized excitable Thor who resembled more of a lost pet than a pirate or an angel. Especially not an angel, though when his hair had been long and blonde it had been easy to mistake him for a maiden on occasion.

“I don’t think so,” Loki told her even though he knew they were talking of the same Thor; it was _Thor_ , how many of those could the universe have?

Loki really hoped it was only one. He wasn’t sure his body could handle much more than that. Gamora must have been inclined to agree with him because her face had set into an unamused expression as she crossed her arms and waited.

Loki rolled his eyes- all warriors were the same, stubborn- before he explained, “Thor’s my brother.”

Gamora burst out into laughter and when she realized it was Loki’s turn to stare at her unimpressed she’d demanded, “You? And Thor? Related?”

_Adopted, actually._

“Yes,” Loki said, “and I fear our reunion. You see, this isn’t the first time he’s thought I’ve died and- _well_ \- not been dead.”

Gamora blinked at him- once, twice, three times- before she doubled over laughing. It wasn’t long before Loki found himself joining in as they settled next to each other to watch the sun set with the promise of a new tomorrow.

&.

Neither Gamora nor Loki were familiar with the terrain and with the lack of natural light ended up lost.

“Who even hikes a million miles away to look at a stupid sunset anyways?” Loki complained, annoyed as he kicked at the uneven terrain underneath his boots.

Gamora shrugged, evidently unamused and unsurprised by her adoptive father’s incline for the dramatic. She did seem interested in Loki’s brother, however, and Loki had been surprised to discover Thor was an easy topic to speak of. Except he didn’t really know the girl beside him and wasn’t entirely sure he was ready to sell his brother out just yet.

So Gamora had talked about her time as Thanos’s ( _the pissant_ ) warrior daughter and of how she was arrested trying to betray him. Then she recollected the oddest string of events Loki’s ever heard in his life until he thought of his time on Sakaar.

Eventually they got around to speaking of Thor, and it wasn’t until morning that they found civilization once more. It took even longer before Loki- who had long since dedicated himself to learning all languages and the warriors had blinked at him in awe before mumbling how a white man spoke their native tongue, which Loki chose to ignore- convinced them that they were friend and not foe.

They were then led to a city that was in obvious mourning. Loki and Gamora blinked at one another as realization started to sink in. Thanos had done it. He’d snapped his fingers and- had done something.

It wasn’t what he and everyone else had thought he did, but Loki had somehow managed to make it look convincing. Perhaps too convincing.

“I’m impressed,” Gamora told him as they were lead to a room and told to wait there.

They’d bowed respectively before being left alone. Gamora folded her arms, agitated at being separated from her friends and presumed lover. When Loki had pressed on that matter she had punched his arm and told him to shut up all the while a dark red colored her green skin.

She reminded him of Sif, and his chest hurt at the reminder of what had befallen his brother’s childhood friends. Not that he’s ever cared for that particular bunch- because he _hadn’t_ \- but his brother had, and Thor was about the only thing left Loki cared for in this universe.

Thor probably wouldn’t agree, most likely annoyed about Loki’s constant dying and coming back and- surprise- not really being dead. Not to mention the lies and deceit and secrets. Loki wouldn’t want to hang out with him either.

_You really are the worst brother._

“You okay Loki?” Gamora asked, voice tinged with her concern.

Loki shrugged, the doors swinging open and he had never been more grateful for a distraction. It was Steve Rogers, or whatever was left of the man. His eyes looked tired and broken and when he gazed upon them he looked different.

“What in the Nine Realms happened to you?” Loki demanded, voice bordering on harsh and not at all sympathetic.

Gamora elbowed in the ribs, and he retaliated in kind. Steve blinked at them, probably confused on why they were suddenly acting like children. Loki straightened up quickly, clearing his throat and watching as Gamora followed his lead. They wore matching mirthful expressions, and the fact that it was wildly inappropriate made it that more exciting.

“What are you doing here Loki?” Rogers asked, voice void of everything.

It made Loki uncomfortable. Gamora fidgeted next to him, apparently sensing the awkward atmosphere.

“You two know each other?” she asked.

“Yes. He is a friend of my brother,” Loki supplied the same time Rogers explained, “We stopped him trying to take over Earth several years ago.”

Gamora whistled, impressed. Loki ignored her as he stepped forward, hoping to appeal to Roger’s humanity but he suddenly felt off even as his next words left his mouth.

“Where is my brother?” and he tried to keep his tone calm and civil, empty of the fear and anxiety currently bubbling up in his chest.

Rogers met his gaze and was silent for a long moment before he released a heavy breath and said, “Thor is with the talking raccoon, I think. Why?”

Beside him, Gamora perked up and inquired, “Rocket? Why is he with the Pirate Angel? Is he okay? Where’s Groot?”

Rogers blinked under the intensity of her questions before his eyes grew remorseful once more as he started to babble, “I’m sorry for your loss ma’am. We weren’t enough. Thanos won. They turned to dust. It was like they never existed.”

Loki reached out to set his palm over the Avenger’s mouth. Rogers blinked in shock, but Loki didn’t care because it’d stopped his babbling.

“I don’t have time to listen to this nonsense,” Loki informed him as he dropped his hand and moved passed the soldier, “No one’s dead, and Thanos didn’t win. But I don’t have time to explain everything right now.”

He shrugged past Rogers, feeling Gamora follow in step behind him. They managed to get lost- again- and it was only sheer luck Gamora managed to spot them at all. Actually she heard them, and she must have been anxious at finding the Rocket raccoon because she immediately took off.

“Wait!” Loki shouted, rushing after her.

She leapt out of the window, landing gracefully before calling out Rocket’s name. The small furry creature that had been propped on Thor’s shoulder perked up, ears sticking straight up as he turned towards her voice.

“Gamora!” the creature exclaimed, rushing towards her, “Oh am I glad to see you.”

She held out her arms to pick the creature up, rising to her full height and squeezing him to her chest. It oddly reminded Loki of when they’d met- the gleam of panic in her eyes as she held a knife to his throat and demanded the state of her friends.

Loki hadn’t known about them at the time and told her as much. She hadn’t backed down, and probably never really trusted him until he buried that knife in the Mad Titan’s throat. Loki landed next to her, eyeing the creature with a curious expression.

He’d been so distracted that he missed the rock his brother hurled at his head until it struck his temple. He fell back, hitting the ground with a soft sound.

“Ow!” Loki snapped, “ _Thor!_ ”

Rocket snickered and even Gamora smirked, but then Thor’s shadow was blocking everything else out. Loki shrank back, instinctively, before his brother’s hands were reaching down and yanking him back up to his feet.

Thor buried his face in the crook of Loki’s collarbone as he gave a heavy sob and promised, “You’re not the worst brother. You’re not the worst. You’re not.”

“Thor,” Loki gasped, “ _Air._ ”

Thor released him just enough that Loki’s feet found solid earth, and his lungs remembered how to function properly. He blinked up at his brother’s teary expression, and Loki frowned up at him.

“You’ve found yourself an eye,” he noted.

“Oh yeah. The rabbit gave it to me as a gift,” Thor explained, beaming at Loki with a bright expression Loki had been so certain he’d never see again directed towards him, “Do you like it?”

Loki frowned critically back before he replied honestly, “It doesn’t match your natural eye color. Hang on.”

He reached up- slow and careful in case Thor suddenly decided not to trust him- before setting his fingers against his brother’s temple. Warmth flooded from Loki’s hand as Thor’s eye shifted from brown to green before settling on his natural blue.

“Witch!” Rocket shouted, leaping from Gamora’s arms and knocking Loki back onto the ground.

“You are a vile creature,” Loki grunted back as Gamora burst out laughing- the traitor- and even Thor was grinning when he lifted Rocket from his chest.

“No. No friend rabbit. This is my brother. Loki,” Thor explained with so much pride and affection in his tone.

Loki’s chest constricted tightly.

Rocket stopped squirming in Thor’s hold to blink down at Loki as he asked in a confused tone, “The dead one?”

“Yes.”

Loki could have struck his brother except Thor still had that goofy affectionate expression on his features and he looked so _happy_. Once Loki would have relished in ripping that away from his brother. Now he found himself copying Thor as he accepted his brother’s hand, allowing himself to be hauled back to his feet and drawn in another tight hug.

Loki didn’t pull away this time, and he didn’t protest.

He sank into his brother’s arms and- for the first time since he fell from the Bifrost what felt like lifetimes ago- he felt peace.

&.

The thing about spells you’ve never tried before is that the outcome can be really unpredictable. Loki had only hoped he wouldn’t screw everything up, and after he finally managed to untangle himself from Thor’s arms long enough to explain what had happened he’d expected Thor to strike him or, at the very least, give him that disapproving frown Loki had grown accustomed to.

Instead Thor drew him in another hug as he proclaimed again, “You’re not the worst, brother!”

Loki gagged.

Gamora smirked at him and Rocket frowned from her shoulder as he demanded, “Where did everybody go then?”

“I’m not entirely sure they went anywhere,” Loki explained awkwardly against Thor’s chest, his brother’s arms an iron vice around his slim form.

He pushed, testily, against Thor’s chest. Thor let him, though he did keep a firm hold around his bicep- like he was afraid of letting him go completely.

“In order to reverse it,” Loki continued, “I’m going to need the thing I’d given Thanos as replacement for the Tesseract.”

“We left that on the battlefield,” Thor explained, “ _Loki_ -”

But Loki was already gone, dragging everybody else with him. They landed in the forest by the broken Infinity Gauntlet. Apparently Loki’s magic didn’t work well with the few Infinity Stones Thanos actually managed to collect.

He bent over to pick it up as Gamora and Rocket made soft gagging noises. Even Thor looked greener than usual, though his blue eyes did flicker in concern as he gazed at the other two.

“Whoops. I forgot mortals and my magic don’t mix well sometimes,” Loki apologized as he removed the blue stone from the gauntlet.

“You really are the worst,” Rocket snapped, earning him an annoyed expression from Loki as thunder rolled threateningly above them.

Loki crushed the stone in his hand before tossing the blue dust in the air. For a moment nothing happened, and they blinked at each other. Thor’s hand weighed heavily against the spot on Loki’s elbow he refused to release.

Then the world around them changed.

Dust swirled, creating their own vortexes before people- strangers to Loki but probably friends to the others- emerged. Thor’s grip only tightened to a near painful degree but Loki didn’t pay it any mind. Grateful Thor had seemed to have forgiven him so quickly.

“Where in the world did you learn that, brother?” Thor asked when they were alone and Thor had sat him down to make sure that Loki was real and alive and that this wasn’t a trick or hallucination or bad dream.

Loki obeyed, patiently allowing Thor to poke and prod at him. He had asked, in the beginning, if Thor had even known what he was looking for which earned him a tightlipped stare and firm promise that Thor would know.

Thor’s sudden question caught Loki off-guard, and he tensed for the briefest moment. Thor just stared at him- tolerant and kind and every bit the older brother Loki thought he’d lost countless times before- so Loki found himself relaxing.

“I’ve picked up on a lot of new tricks while we were apart,” Loki informed him before adding testingly, “brother.”

And it felt right.

Thor beamed, hand clasped against his shoulder as he proclaimed, “Then I am very eager to catch up with you.”

Loki smiled back- happy- as he silently contended that he was ready for that as well.


End file.
